Agathocles (son of Lysimachus)
Agathocles ( ; born between 320–310s BCPtolemaic Genealogy: Arsinoe I, Footnote 3 – died 284 BC) was a Greek Prince who was of Macedonian and Thessalian descent. He was the son born to the diadochus Lysimachus from his first wife the Queen consort, NicaeaBengtson, Griechische Geschichte von den AnfÃ¤ngen bis in die rÃ¶mische Kaiserzeit, p.569Heckel, Who’s who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander’s empire, p.175 a daughter of the powerful regent Antipater.Heckel, Who’s who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander’s empire, p.175 His full blooded siblings were his younger sisters:EurydiceBengtson, Griechische Geschichte von den AnfÃ¤ngen bis in die rÃ¶mische Kaiserzeit, p.569Heckel, Who’s who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander’s empire, p.175 and Arsinoe I.Bengtson, Griechische Geschichte von den AnfÃ¤ngen bis in die rÃ¶mische Kaiserzeit, p.569Heckel, Who’s who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander’s empire, p.175 Agathocles was sent by his father against the Getae, about 292 BC, but was defeated and taken prisoner. He was kindly treated by Dromichaetes the king of the Getae, and sent back to his father with presents; but Lysimachus, notwithstanding, marched against the Getae, and was taken prisoner himself. He too was also released by Dromichaetes, who received in consequence the daughter of Lysimachus in marriage. According to some authors it was only Agathocles and according to others only Lysimachus, who was taken prisoner.Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca, xxi. 12, Pausanias, Description of Greece, i. 9, Strabo, Geography, xiv. 4, Plutarch, Parallel Lives, "Demetrius", 39, Moralia, "On the delays of divine vengeance", Plutarch, "Demetrius", 46 In 287 BC Agathocles was sent by his father against Demetrius I Poliorcetes, who had marched into Anatolia to deprive Lysimachus of Lydia and Caria. In this expedition he was successful; he defeated Demetrius I and drove him out of his father's provinces.Plutarch, "Demetrius", 46 Agathocles was destined to be the successor of Lysimachus, and was popular among his subjects. His stepmother Arsinoe II, prejudiced the mind of his father against him and after an unsuccessful attempt to poison him, Lysimachus cast him into prison, where he was murdered (284 BC) by Ptolemy Keraunos (a paternal half-brother of Arsinoe II), who was a fugitive at the court of Lysimachus. His maternal cousin-wife and now widow Lysandra with their children fled with Alexander (Agathocles' paternal half-brother) to Seleucus I Nicator in Asia, who made war upon Lysimachus in consequence.Memnon of Heraclea, History of Herakleia, 5, Pausanias, i. 10, Justin, Epitome of Pompeius Trogus, xvii. 1 Louis Robert has suggested that coins ΑΓΑΘ of 300 BC belong to an Agathocleia city in Mysia founded by Agathocles.Cohen, The Hellenistic settlements in Europe, the islands, and Asia Minor, p.163 References Sources *Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Agathocles (2)", Boston, (1867) * * Ptolemaic Genealogy: Arsinoe I * H. Bengtson, Griechische Geschichte von den AnfÃ¤ngen bis in die rÃ¶mische Kaiserzeit, C.H.Beck, 1977 * M. Getzel, Hellenistic settlements in Europe, the islands and Asia Minor, Cohen University of California Press, 1995 * W. Heckel, Who’s who in the age of Alexander the Great: prosopography of Alexander’s empire, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006 Category:Ancient Thracian Greeks Category:Hellenistic generals Category:Year of birth unknown Category:280s BC deaths Category:Generals of Lysimachus Category:Hellenistic Thrace